Whether you see them or not, the South is teeming with snakes. Texas alone boasts nearly seventy species, the most in the nation, while Florida and Alabama enjoy some fifty—a diversity it’s fair to equate with density. Those species lists extend far beyond well-known serpents like timber rattlers, copperheads, water moccasins, king snakes, and garter snakes—there’s the rough earthsnake, the ribbon snake, the ringneck snake, the rough green snake, the coachwhip (a standout name in our book, though we don’t advise using it as such), and countless more.
Why do so many one-bodied reptiles slither through the region? You can thank the South’s variety of habitat types, from wetlands and forests to mountains and coastal plains, and plentiful prey. Snakes themselves deserve a lot of the credit, too: As a whole, they are impressive eating machines that have evolved to exploit all those habitat and prey types with great success. And though they garner a great deal of fear and misunderstanding, the vast majority of Southern snakes are harmless to humans.
Below, find seven cool—and surprisingly beautiful—species that you might not have heard of.
Eastern pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius)
These rarely sighted residents of pine flatwoods, sandy scrub areas, and wetland edges live all over the Southeast. Their blotched patterns come in an astounding variety of colors, from striking red and orange to black and slate gray, and the tail is outfitted with a tiny rattle. They rely on ambush tactics to prey on small mammals, lizards, amphibians, and occasionally insects. Though they might not pack quite the punch of a regularly sized rattlesnake, pygmies are still venomous—so if you’re lucky enough to see one, admire from afar.
Rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma)
The freshwater swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams of coastal Southern states harbor a colorful secret: the rainbow snake, named for the kaleidoscope of shimmery hues on its scales. These nonvenomous reptiles—relatives of ribbon snakes—are smooth and glossy and often boast an accentuated, bright tail that you might glimpse as they wind through the water in pursuit of amphibians and eels.
Glossy crayfish snake (Liodytes rigida rigida)
As the name suggests, these nonvenomous aquatic snakes primarily feed on crayfish and prefer habitats where the crustaceans are abundant—like streams, rivers, and swamps all over the Southeast. Their smooth, streamlined bodies, outfitted with two faint stripes and a subtle iridescent sheen, allow them to swim quickly through the water, and chisel-like teeth help them grasp their prey’s hard shells. Crayfish snakes are either so rare or so difficult to find that biologists still have much to learn about them.
Eastern worm snake (Carphophis amoenus)
A worm snake is exactly what it sounds like—a small, nondescript little reptile that looks pretty much like an earthworm. They live all over the Eastern United States and love moist woodlands and a good pile of leaf litter. The smooth, uniform scales come in shades of brown or pink, the tail is pointed, and the face has useless eyes that are what biologists call vestigal—left over from a time when an ancestor could see but without any current function. You’re not likely to spot one unless you look, but worm snakes serve an important ecological function; as they burrow, they aerate the soil.
Louisiana pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus ruthveni)
The last stronghold of this threatened species is the Catahoula Ranger District of the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana, where biologists are hard at work trying to boost its numbers through reintroductions from captive breeding programs. It’s a tough species to monitor in the wild, though—the snake, which can reach six feet in length, spends some 70 percent of its time underground, nosing through the sandy soil in pursuit of its favorite prey, gophers. Though pine snakes will coil up, inflate their bodies, and make a loud hissing noise, it’s all bluster—they’re nonvenomous.
Scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides)
A glance at this brightly colored serpent might give coral snake vibes, and not by accident—the mimicry is evolutionary proof that it’s advantageous to look more dangerous than you are. Scarlet kingsnakes live all over the southeastern and eastern United States, in pine savannas, pine-oak forests, prairies, cultivated fields, and a variety of suburban habitats, where they hunt lizards, other snakes, amphibians, and small mammals. Though a pro can tell one from a coral snake—the bands of a scarlet kingsnake go red, black, yellow, black, and they have red pointy snouts—if in any doubt at all, appreciate the millennia it took them to evolve the mimicry, and leave them alone.
Southern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon simus)
This species’ goofy, upturned nose makes it a favorite of snake lovers, but the snout serves a purpose: It’s built for digging up prey in the sandy soils, open woodlands, and scrubby areas of Southeastern coastal plains. A Southern hog-nosed snake’s favorite menu item is the toad, and its specially equipped rear fangs help it both hold on to its victims and deflate them for easier swallowing. When threatened, these nonvenomous drama queens put on a show—they’ll hiss, writhe as if in pain, and flip over to play dead. (If you flip them back right side up, they’ll turn right back over to insist that they’re dead.)
